New York World
The New York World was a newspaper published in New York City from 1860 to 1931. The paper played a major role in the history of American newspapers as a leading national voice of the Democratic Party. From 1883 to 1911 under publisher Joseph Pulitzer, it was a pioneer in yellow journalism, capturing readers' attention with sensation, sports, sex and scandal and pushing its daily circulation to the one-million mark. It was sold in 1931 and merged into the New York World-Telegram.
Type
- Manton Marble
(1862–1876) - Thomas A. Scott
(1876–1879) - Jay Gould
(1879–1883) - Joseph Pulitzer
(1883–1911) - Pulitzer family
(1911–1931)
1860
Independent Democratic/Progressive
February 27, 1931
313,000 (1931)[1]
History[edit]
Early years[edit]
The World was founded in 1860. From 1862 to 1876, it was edited by Manton Marble, who was also its proprietor. During the 1864 United States presidential election, the World was shut down for three days after it published forged documents purportedly from Abraham Lincoln.[2][3] Marble, disgusted by the defeat of Samuel Tilden in the 1876 presidential election, sold the paper after the election to a group headed by Thomas A. Scott, the president of the Pennsylvania Railroad, who used the paper "as a propaganda vehicle for his stock enterprises."[4] But Scott was unable to meet the newspaper's growing losses, and in 1879 he sold it to financier Jay Gould as part of a deal that also included the Texas & Pacific Railroad.[4] Gould, like Scott, used the paper for his own purposes, employing it to help him take over Western Union. But Gould, like Scott, could not turn the financial state of the newspaper around, and by the 1880s, it was losing $40,000 a year.[4]
Joseph Pulitzer years[edit]
Joseph Pulitzer bought the World in 1883 and began an aggressive era of circulation building. Reporter Nellie Bly became one of America's first investigative journalists, often working undercover. As a publicity stunt for the paper, inspired by the Jules Verne novel Around the World in Eighty Days, she traveled around the planet in 72 days in 1889–1890. In 1890, Pulitzer built the New York World Building, the tallest office building in the world at the time.
In 1889, Julius Chambers was appointed by Pulitzer as managing editor of the New York World; he served until 1891.[5] In 1890, Pulitzer, Chambers, et al. were indicted for posthumous criminal libel against Alexander T. Stewart for accusing him of "a dark and secret crime", as the man who "invited guests to meet his mistresses at his table", and as "a pirate of the dry goods ocean." The charges were dismissed by the court. This sort of criminal action was common at the time and both Pulitzer and Chambers were indicted in a number of cases, in some of which they were acquitted, in others convicted.
Legacy[edit]
Janet E. Steele argues that Joseph Pulitzer put a stamp on his age when he brought his brand of journalism from St. Louis to New York in 1883. In his New York World, Pulitzer emphasized illustrations, advertising, and a culture of consumption for working men. He believed they saved money to enjoy life with their families when they could, at Coney Island, for example.[12]
By contrast, the long-established editor Charles A. Dana, of The Sun, held to a traditional view of the working man as one engaged in a struggle to better his working conditions and to improve himself. Dana thought that readers in the 20th century followed fewer faddish illustrations and wished newspapers did not need advertising. Dana resisted buying a Linotype. In time the more sensational approach to news, advertising, and content triumphed.[12]
Revival[edit]
On May 16, 2011, the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism announced that it was launching an online publication named The New York World, in honor of the original newspaper published by Joseph Pulitzer, who founded the graduate school. The university said the mission of the publication would be "to provide New York City citizens with accountability journalism about government operations that affect their lives." It was to be staffed mainly by those who have completed master's or doctoral degrees, and other affiliates of the school.[13][14] The online publication focuses on data journalism and collaborated with a number of local and national news outlets.[15] The World lists contributors and an editor, but has not published new content since 2016.